MLP: Dragonfire
by I.Steel
Summary: The Equestrian civilization was to usher in a golden age for the galaxy. Then came the Chaotic Dark, which sundered the Equestrian homeworld and brought about their downfall. A millennium later, they struggle to restore what they once were. These are the adventures of the Celestia Solaris and her crew, as well as the personal journey of the Draconian Spa'iik "Spike" Dragonfire.
1. S1E1: Dragonfire Part 1

1,000 years ago, the Equestrian race had become known throughout the farthest reaches of the galaxy as a shining beacon of order and power, a perfect example of civilization, equality, and benevolence. They were the definition of prosperity and ascension, their allies loving them, and their enemies fearing them. Their technology and magic worked hand in hand to the point where it was one and the same. Many believed that they had reached their pinnacle, and would one day lead the galaxy to a golden age...

Sadly, however, the higher one can climb, the farther one can fall. So it was for the Equestrians when their homeworld, the center of their power and the cradle of their civilization, fell to an inexplicable horror known today only as the Chaotic Dark. Unable to defend against it, the Chaotic Dark ravaged Equestria, sundering the entire planet, and threatening to expand to the worlds beyond. Indeed, the entire galaxy would have been doomed to suffer Equestria's fate, were it not for the sacrifice of eight beings who finally discovered and learned to wield a great power to counter the Chaotic Dark. It is believed that this power was the greatest of the Old Magic, known simply as Harmony.

Despite the heroic sacrifice of the Eight, the Chaotic Dark was not destroyed, but simply nullified, it's expansion prevented and restricted to Equestria. The sundering of Equestria was far from beneath the notice of the rest of the galaxy. Many races, whether jealous of the Equestrians, or simply pursuing power and wealth, saw an opportunity for conquest, plunder, and vengeance. As all of Equestrian space was invaded, ravaged and conquered all at once from multiple fronts, it was only through their allies that the Equestrians were saved from complete extinction or enslavement.

All Equestrians that survived destroyed colonies and a ruined homeworld sought refuge in the lunar colonies of Equestria's only moon. There, they would remain in exile for the next millennium to become shadows of what they were, much of their former glory abandoned or forgotten. For all that time, they have struggled to survive, their ultimate goals being twofold: To find a new homeworld, and to regain their lost knowledge. Finally, there are those who fear that the Chaotic Dark has not truly been defeated, but merely delayed. To this end, the Lunar Colonies maintain a constant vigil over their ruined homeworld, prepared to fight or flee as the situation warrants.

This is the story of the Celestia Solaris, one of the few remaining Equestrian starships, and it's crew...

A shrill alarm trilled, causing the occupant of the bed nearby to grunt and breathe deep as he sat up, not happy about having his slumber (and a good dream) interrupted, but years of discipline making him push himself up nevertheless. He had a full schedule today, and demanded nothing less of himself but his best. He walked into his quarters' head, the face greeting him in the mirror being that of a young man of nineteen, with short green hair and pointed ears. The young man, Spike, examined his face for a moment, his squinting green eyes adjusting to the change in light...eyes with vertical slit pupils like a reptile would have.

Determining that he didn't require a shave today, he proceeded to clean teeth that included pronounced fangs. Spike removed his underwear, having only enough time for a quick soni-clean before breakfast. His build was average, but muscular and toned like an athlete.  
The soni-clean chamber, activating automatically from Spike's presence inside, felt like what could be best described as soft waves of air being pushed at him from all sides. The emitted sound was supposed to be too high pitched for most Equestrian ears; Being a Draconian, however, Spike had to suffer a slightly uncomfortable sound throughout the cleaning cycle, given the hearing range of his race.

To say that Spike was in a unique position was an understatement. His entire family had been slain when his small home colony was attacked by an Adamacanid (or "Diamond Dogs," as galactic slang called them) raid. He and a few others survived by virtue of a nearby Equestrian vessel that managed to drive the attackers off. From what he understood, he would have been placed into the Draconian foster care system...had not one of the Equestrians, an officer named Night Light, offered to adopt him. After much discussion, Spike became the first Draconian (as far as anyone knew of, anyway) to grow up in an Equestrian family. Consequently, Spike would later become the first Draconian (likewise as far as anyone knew) to serve in the Equestrian space fleet. This was a source of pride for Spike, and an incentive for him to try his best and be a good example of his race.

To that end, during his time in the Equestrian Aerospace Academy, he not only elected to take officer training, but chose the very rare educational path of a Quarter Tech (short for "Quartered Specialization Technician"), which carried the comparatively largest and most diverse workload, as it was a path that trained personnel to be able to have skill enough to support or even temporarily replace any member of the crew if necessary. While far from easy, Spike managed to both graduate and be certified as a Quarter Tech. As of now, he had been serving as a Cadet aboard the Celestia for the past year, with scuttlebutt being that he would make Ensign soon.

Spike mulled over this fact as he ate his breakfast; His long, forked tongue visible as he spooned another bite into his mouth. His thoughts turned to his schedule for the day as he noted the time. His schedule, as usual, consisted of his usual duty roster combined with whatever training he could fit in between shifts. This was not to say he didn't make time for R&R, those times were simply few and far between. First on today's agenda was target practice, then an infirmary shift, followed by fighter practice, and finally Yeoman duties on the bridge.

Another full day, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

Two figures stood in the center of an illuminated ring, with multiple targets of various shapes, sizes, colors, and levels of brightness. One was a young woman in her twenties, long blond hair in a ponytail, and wearing a brown leather Stetson that seemed out of place compared to the white uniform with orange areas in the shoulders, chest, gloves, and boots.  
Upon the left chest portion of the uniform was "M-6" in large, bold print; All of the Celestia's crew had this emblazoned on their uniforms, as it signified them as part of Division M-6, the Advance Exploration Division. On the right chest portion of the woman's uniform was her Mark, a group of three red apples. The Marks were one of many natural manifestations of the Old Magic, this one possible for all Equestrians. A Mark was a representation of who you were, a culmination of your special talent, your lineage, and your destiny.

Her companion was Spike, his hair now in a spiked style, his uniform white with purple in the same areas as the young woman's uniform, the Mark on the right breast a green flame. For the Draconian, however, this was not truly a natural Mark, but rather one he chose for himself...he found the whole concept fascinating, and nobody seemed to mind his aesthetic choice.

As he fired at the targets alongside the young woman, named Applejack, Spike would occasionally grit his teeth in mild frustration. He was competing with both a senior officer, and one of the most skilled members of the crew. Even if he couldn't come close to beating her, he would at least make a good show of himself; If anything, he owed it to her for allowing him to train alongside her. That said, Applejack was very personable, honest, and well-liked by the crew, so it wasn't that big of a deal to approach her to request some training exercises together. It was working out well, as she managed to help him noticeably improve his shooting.  
Finally, the training simulation ended. Spike huffed a breath, a small wisp of smoke wafting out. His score was 205; However, Applejack far exceeded him with a score of 460.

The young woman smiled. "Five points higher than before. You're gettin' better all the time!" She spoke with her usual southern drawl.

"Thanks." The youth deadpanned.

Applejack rolled her eyes, her smile remaining, "Come on now, sugarcube, how many times I gotta tell ya, you're makin' average scores. Heck, today you scored above average!"

"So how do you keep blowing me out of the water?" Spike retorted.

As they left the sim-room, Applejack explained, "Ah'm a farm girl, ah've been shootin' all mah life, got a knack fer it! Add to that mah military trainin', and there ya go!"

Spike sighed, realizing she had a point. Applejack put a hand on Spike's shoulder, adding, "Like ah said, though, you're gettin' better all th' time! If y'all ever decide to specialize instead o' bein' a Quarter Tech, you'll get better even faster! You'd make one heck of a Bronco!"

Spike smiled at AJ. BRONCOs (Battle Ready Omniphibious Neutralization and Combat Officers) were the security and ground trooper forces that served on starships like the Celestia. As Security Chief, AJ was not only a Bronco herself, but the highest ranked among them on board. Therefore, her compliment held quite a bit of weight.

"Thanks." He said, this time sincerely.

"Oh, my!" the Doctor spoke with worry. She examined the male crewmember with a medical scanning device that remotely connected to the uni-comp built into her uniform glove, which was the same light yellow color as the rest of the color portions of her uniform. She read the results of the scan from a holographic display both superimposed upon, and orbiting around, the glove itself. "You've developed an infection!"

As the holographic display faded, She turned to Spike, who stood beside her. "I need thirty cc's of Tricillin, please."

Spike nodded, "Yes, ma'am." He moved to a nearby shelf, prepping the required medication as quickly and efficiently as possible before handing the pneuma-hypo to Doctor Fluttershy, who promptly administered the medication. After the pneuma-hypo's distinctive hiss faded, Fluttershy returned the device to Spike.  
Fluttershy's soft voice and gentle movements did justice to her Mark of three butterflies. Spike always enjoyed working with her; She was pleasant, polite to a fault, and always genuinely kind. Because of these mannerisms, Spike truly felt like an important part of the Infirmary, despite being among many other Nurses and personnel.

While Spike took the device to be sanitized, Fluttershy spoke to the patient with a sweet smile, "I want you to go to your quarters and get some rest. You should be fine by tomorrow. If you have any reactions, or if the symptoms persist, just come back, okay?"

The male Equestrian, a crewman with caramel-coloring for his uniform and a Mark of three horseshoe prints, nodded and smiled in return, despite his illness. After the crewman left, Spike commented, "Caramel comes in almost as much as Ditzy Doo. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was hurting himself on purpose just to come see you."

A worried expression crossed the Doctor's face in response, "I certainly hope not." Her smile returned, "Oh, wait, he has a marefriend! I remember him talking about her."

Spike smirked. "So he's looking for something on the side, then?"

Fluttershy fixed him with that stare of hers that, for some inexplicable reason, inspired pure terror. The hapless Draconian gulped, immediately regretting what he said. "S-Sorry, I was just joking. I-I didn't mean anything by it."

Fluttershy sighed, her gaze softer. "It's okay, Spike. Your snarkiness aside, you do a great job here. If you decide to pursue a specialty, I hope you consider something in the medical field. You could be a Nurse, or even a Doctor!" She quickly tempered her growing excitement, adding with a sheepish smile, "Um, that is, if it's okay with you."

Spike smiled. Fluttershy was one of the best physicians in the fleet, with an amazing knowledge of medicine, an unshakable patience, and an uncanny empathy. Therefore, a recommendation from her spoke volumes of Spike's potential.

Spike pulled a hard right, just barely avoiding a blast from the other fighter in front of him! The two Equestrian "Mustang" class fighters slipped past each other, quickly turning to meet each other again. Spike was the first to fire a barrage of photon missiles and laser bolts, his opponent doing the same. However, while his opponent managed to deftly dodge every shot, he himself took two hits!  
He swore under his breath. In response, a feminine voice gibed, "Sorry, Spike? Didn't quite catch that?"

"I said, 'lucky shot.'" Spike said, pulling his ship up sharply to come up behind his opponent (albeit upside down), firing another volley. The other fighter didn't miss a beat, spinning to the side before correcting itself and making another advance on Spike's fighter. Spike tried to dodge the following volley, but still took a hit.

Rainbow dash was both an excellent pilot and a senior officer, so it took a bit of convincing on Spike's part to get Rainbow to train with him, primarily via stroking her ego and provoking her competitive drive. As to the former, Spike could attest to having something of an ego himself, so he knew what to say in that regard. The idea of challenging her was suggested by Applejack, as the two of them shared a friendly (and sometimes not-so-friendly) rivalry.

"That's three hits, Spike!" The voice of Rainbow Dash spoke over her comm. "Come on, gimme a challenge!"

Spike scowled, preparing to retort, when his onboard scanners informed him of hostiles nearby. "Bogies spawning in five. Moving to right flank position."

"Roger that." Rainbow spoke. The two of them flew into formation, as six Changeling "Stinger" class fighters appeared, already firing a barrage at the two Mustangs.

The two Mustangs broke off in opposite directions, each one with three Stingers to deal with. Rolling and weaving, Spike barely dodged the enemy volleys, before coming up with a strategy. He kicked his fighter into reverse, missing slamming into his three pursuers by a narrow margin. Hitting full forward thrust once again, Spike came up on them fast, firing at them before they could break up, managing to take one of them down immediately! The remaining two split up, Spike tailing one of them. Despite the Stinger's best efforts, they couldn't shake Spike, who quickly got the Stinger in his sights, destroying it.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was not only evading all three of her pursuers, she was doing so with gusto, making multiple exaggerated rolls and loops, easily shaking her opponents, then actually allowing them to get a lock on her so she could shake them again! All the while, she was whooping, cackling and taunting her foes with her usual cocky bravado.

"Okay, bored now." Rainbow said, "I call this one 'flash in the pan!'"

Like Spike, Rainbow kicked her reverse thrust on, only this time, she was headed directly for one of the Stingers! Knowing Changeling kamikaze tendencies, Rainbow knew they wouldn't attempt to evade. Just before the two ships met, however, Rainbow pushed her forward thrusters full throttle, which not only destroyed the Stinger, but put the Mustang in a good position for the resulting explosion's shockwave to shove the fighter forward, propelling it to an even faster velocity than it was capable of, even at top speed!

Rainbow's Mustang turned in a wide arc, the pilot herself laughing as her sheer speed kept the enemy fire from even touching her. Once she came about, Rainbow let loose, destroying one enemy, and locking on soon after to destroy the other one.

Hearing growling over her comm, Rainbow looked to see Spike's Mustang struggling to shake his last fighter. Spike, meanwhile, was trying everything he could think of to evade, but this fighter was persistent. It fired once it had a lock, but Spike managed to evade each time. Finally, the Stinger exploded, Rainbow's Mustang coming into view before zooming away.

"Dash!" Spike almost shouted, "I had it under control!"

"Simmer down, tough drake." Rainbow said, "Everybody needs help once in a while. It's why we have wingmates, and why we never fly solo, it's in the regs!"

"You're one to talk about following regs!" Spike retorted.

"Hey!" Lieutenant Dash countered, "I may play it fast and loose, but I'm only reckless as far as my own safety is concerned! I'd NEVER endanger my squadron or leave my wingmates hanging!"

Spike was silent for a moment. She had a point. For all her hotheaded attitude and reckless behavior, she was still fiercely loyal to her crewmates and mindful of their safety. Finally, he sighed. "I'm sorry, Ma'am...I was out of line. Thanks for the assist."

Rainbow smiled. "Forget it, we're cool. Now...where were we? Oh yeah! I was kicking your flank!"

"Not if I can help it!" Spike said, kicking his Mustang into full throttle!

Later, the two of them left the sim-room, Spike pouting, while Rainbow had her usual cocky smile.

"Not once." Spike said, "Not ONCE did I tag you!"

Rainbow shrugged, "What can I say? I'm just that good!" She gave her Draconian companion a light chuck on the shoulder. "Seriously, though, nobody on this ship can actually compete with me. The only pilot on this ship who came close was Thunderlane, and he only managed to tag me once. That said, you're an awesome pilot, kiddo. If you were to stop being a Quarter Tech and apply yourself, I wouldn't mind having you as a wingmate!"

Spike nodded. Despite her ego, Lieutenant Dash was one of the few people who could back up her boasts. She was the best pilot on the ship, hands down...maybe even the best pilot in the fleet. Whenever the fighters needed to be launched, every pilot on the ship wanted to be her wingmate...so to actually be told he could be one of her first choices meant a lot to Spike.

"Captain's Log, #3346..." A young woman spoke in a neutral, informative tone, "The Celestia has intercepted a subspace transmission, specifically a distress call, approximately one hour and sixteen minutes ago. Initial analysis of the signal and the content of the message places the age of the signal as roughly one thousand years old. We are currently tracing the signal to it's source, in order to both investigate the distress call and explore the area for potential resources. ETA is approximately twelve hours at present speed."

Her log entry complete, the woman speaking nodded to Spike, moving an errant strand of pink hair out of her eyes to join the remaining purple locks that were still in place. The color portions of her uniform were a lavender color, her Mark a large six-pointed star orbited by five smaller stars. This was Twilight Sparkle...Captain of the Celestia Solara, and one of the greatest minds in the galaxy...or at least Spike thought so, and not just because she was his adopted sister.

It took a lot of convincing, and a few conditions had to be met, but Twilight had managed to get Spike as part of her crew, even though regulations did not typically permit such things. Though they had a very close bond, their sibling relationship was not the reason Twilight wanted to keep Spike for her crew. Mainly, she saw tremendous accomplishment and further potential in the young Draconian, and wanted to keep him under her tutelage as much as possible to make him the best he could be. Their performance and interaction with one another had thus far proven them to be an exception to the rules, and so they would hope to remain.

For Spike's part, he saved the recording on the logbook pad, then presented the device to Twilight for her biometric signature. Twilight placed a finger on the pad, the pad itself sensing, reading, and processing not only the fingerprint, but also the DNA of her skin. It only took a moment for the signature, and Spike promptly slid the logbook into a compartment in Twilight's command chair, where the pad would stay protected, charged and updated.

The bridge of the Celestia was, as always, a busy epicenter for the ship, with all critical sections and departments represented by their own stations, manned by specialists and senior officers. As his position demanded, Spike had a least a passing familiarity with every station the bridge, thus allowing him to briefly take said station in an emergency or situation when others were unavailable. That said, he was still learning, and hoped that an emergency wouldn't present itself anytime soon.

Twilight looked to Spike with a smile. "What's next on the agenda, Mister Dragonfire?"

"Dragonfire" was Spike's Equestrian name. An Equestrian's name tended to also be their Mark; So it was for Spike, as he had the name since his adoption, later choosing his Mark with the name in mind. The name "Spike" was actually a mispronunciation of his Draconian name, "Spa'iik." He liked It, though, so it stuck as a nickname of sorts.

In response to Twilight's question, Spike spoke, "Vessel status reports will be ready in one hour. You wanted to speak with Doctor Turner in Lab Alpha, Lieutenant Roseluck has requested your intervention in a matter regarding the resources allotted to the Atrium, and you have a manecut appointment in 20 mins."

Another female voice spoke up, "Is Roseluck still getting too much nitrogen supplement, and not enough phosphorus?"

Twilight shrugged as her Executive Officer, Sunset Shimmer, approached to stand next to the command chair. The red portion of her hair matched the red color portions of her uniform and her Mark of a stylized sun.

"I hope not, that shipping mix up was a debacle!" Twilight responded.

Sunset shook her head. "Ensign Doo earned her paycheck THAT day, that's for sure."

Twilight nodded, then turned her attention to Spike, "Mister Dragonfire, would you accompany me to Lab Alpha, please?"

Spike nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

As they both walked to one of the lifts that left the bridge, Twilight spoke, "Miss Shimmer, you have command."

Sunset nodded. "Have fun with the mad scientist." She said with a smile.

"Your application for the Ensign exams has been approved, Spike." Twilight spoke, beaming at her surrogate brother.

Spike smiled at his surrogate sister and Captain. "I won't let you down, Twilight."

"You never have, Spike." She replied warmly.

The corridor was alive with activity, as crew and civilians alike walked to their respective destinations on the ship. As the two of them rounded a corner at an intersection, Twilight asked, "Have you chosen a specialization, yet?"

Spike cleared his throat in mild discomfort, "Erm...no, no I haven't."

Twilight sighed. "Spike...as multi-talented as you are, you can't be everything. Quarter Techs are a rare thing for a reason. It was a position tailored for the early days of space travel, back when there were small ships and smaller crews. Nowadays, there's far too many positions on a ship...too many things to know."

"You did all right." Spike countered.

Twilight didn't miss a beat. "I have an IQ of 308 and a photographic memory...and I still chose a specialization in the end, you know that."

Spike was silent in his recollection. Twilight's choice to try being a Quarter Tech herself was one of Spike's inspirations for attempting the same path. Unfortunately, Twilight chose to specialize not long after she made Lieutenant...the reason being that the massive responsibilities of the job simply became too much for even a woman of her phenomenal gifts, affecting her physically and psychologically. After some soul-searching and advice from others, she chose to be Chief Science Officer. She would have stayed in that role and been happy there, had it not been for one fateful mission, where she was forced to assume command during an attack on the Celestia and the crisis that followed. Showing exemplary leadership qualities, she was offered her present rank and command of the Celestia, to which she agreed out of a sense of duty and responsibility, one of her more admirable qualities. While she had no regrets and was proud to bear her mantle, she always seemed the most content when working in a lab or studying a book or terminal.

Finally, Twilight broke the silence, "As intelligent and skilled as you are, I'd love to see you pursue a path in science. You know I'd give you a recommendation in a heartbeat."

Spike nodded, smiling. The two of them had to follow strict guidelines in order to stay on the same ship together. Not only did the two of them meet these guidelines, but surpassed all expectations. For that reason among others, Spike was absolutely sure that Twilight meant what she said out of recognition of his merits, and not through any manner of favoritism or nepotism.

The two siblings smiled at each other before finally entering Lab Alpha.

At 1347 hours the next day, the Celestia was only a few light years away from what known star charts identified as the Valin System. As the ship neared closer to the planet, the bridge crew was assembled and working efficiently, excitement and expectation high at the prospect of finding more pieces of the Equestrian civilization. In the millennium that followed the fall of Equestria and the loss of so much of what they had been, the Equestrian remnant continued their struggle to recover, finding scraps of their ancient power and history here and there throughout their old territory...much of which had either become the domain of their enemies, chaotic wilds, or uninhabitable wastelands. They had come a long way, but they still had a long way to go.

"Approaching Valin three, Captain." Rainbow spoke from the Navigation station of the bridge helm, located near the center of the bridge in front of the view screen. The viewscreen showed a gray, dead world, with a few gray wisps as cloud cover.

"Enter standard orbit and prepare to..." Twilight began, but was cut off by a shrill alarm coming from the Tactical station of the bridge helm, manned by Applejack.

The Security Chief swore under her breath, before reporting, "Ah've got three Adamacanid Drillers approachin' our position, Cap'n! Bearin' three-thirty mark fifteen!"

Three ships came into view on the screen. The three ships were each a quarter of the size of the Celestia, their cone shapes similar to their namesake. "Their shields are up, and they're armin' weapons!" Applejack said.

"RED ALERT!" Twilight shouted, "Battle stations! Evasive maneuver Delta!"  
All three Adamacanid ships opened fire on the Celestia.


	2. S1E2: Dragonfire Part 2

The initial Plasma Pulse shots from the attacking Adamacanid Drillers struck the shields of the Celestia Solaris as the Equestrian vessel veered away from the attacking ships.

"Shields holdin' at 95%, Hull Polarization at full power." Applejack reported, her gaze moving between the ship's status display and the targeting system of her tactical console.

"Fire Lasers!" Sunset commanded, "Arm Quantum Missiles and fire pattern spread 'Starburst!'"

The Celestia fired long, continuous beams of red-colored energy at the attacking ships, intermixed with projectiles resembling bursts of white-colored energy that flew in different directions to form a wide, angled pattern. The three attacking Drillers scattered in different directions. One managed to escape, a laser blast missing it by a narrow margin. one of the ships took a hit from a laser blast and two missile hits, noticeably damaging it. The final ship caught a laser blast and several missile hits, exploding into atomized debris!

"Got 'em!" Applejack shouted.

"Continue evasive maneuvers, and begin calculating Rail Cannon firing solutions." Twilight commanded.

Rainbow Dash's hands moved across her navigational console, adjusting impulse engine and thruster power before gripping the dual handles of the steering controls to pilot the ship, relying on both the viewscreen and readings from the three dimensional radar-like holographic display on her console to move the ship.

The Celestia moved throughout the vast area of space, attempting to both dodge the pursuing vessels and retaliate in kind. Due to it's sheer size, however, it still managed to take three Distorter Beams and two Photon Charges. After missing a few more shots, two laser beams connected, destroying the damaged Driller. At this, the third one, still undamaged, began to move away.

"She's trying to run." Sunset spoke.

"Cap'n, we have a firin' solution for Rail Cannons." Applejack reported.

"Fire." Twilight commanded.

As the Driller fled, two projectiles fired from the Celestia, streaking at incredible velocity. Both projectiles struck true, ripping through both shields and hull of the ship, causing it to explode.

"That's the last of 'em, Cap'n!" Applejack reported, after taking one last look at her scanner data.

Having a hunch, Twilight turned in her Command Chair to face the Communications station behind her and to the right. "Lieutenant Rarity, are we still receiving the distress signal from the planet?"

A young woman spun away from her Communications terminal in her chair to face Twilight. The color portions of Rarity's uniform were the same shade of dark violet as her hair. Her Mark of three diamonds seemed to subtly enhance an already striking beauty. She responded, "Still receiving loud and clear, Captain."

Twilight nodded, then turned to face Applejack's Tactical console in front of her once more. "Lieutenant Applejack, Any signs of other vessels nearby on on the planet?"

The Security Chief was silent for a moment, before looking over her shoulder and reporting, "Scans are clean, Ma'am. No hostiles detected."

Twilight then turned to the Science station to her right. "Cadet Dragonfire, what are the initial planetary scan results?"

Spike, currently scheduled to man the Science station at this time, looked up from his detailed scan results. "Atmosphere is breathable, minor radiation...I'm detecting some energy signatures, both magic and electromagnetic, as well as other processed metal concentrations...most likely a settlement."

"Life signs?" Twilight asked.

Spike looked at Twilight. "Other than some very sparse vegetation and bacteria..." He shook his head, "No, Ma'am."

Twilight rubbed her chin lightly in thought. "So...either a very poor trap, or not a trap at all."

"It could be a very **good** trap." Sunset volunteered, standing beside the Command Chair. "A failed ambush to give us a false sense of security, while the bulk of the attack is hiding out there somewhere?"

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Possible...but they would have tried running much earlier in the battle; and our scanners would have picked up any kind of interference that could possibly hide reinforcements."

Rainbow added, "Not to mention Adamacanid ships don't have Ghost Emitters, Holo-Camo Screens, or Cloaking Fields."

"That's never stopped 'em before." Applejack spoke, "They're always scavengin' an' stealin' stealth equipment."

"Sure, but they've never had enough for an entire group of ships." Rainbow retorted.

"In any case..." Twilight spoke up, turning all attention back to her, "We're still going down to explore, but we're going to be more cautious than usual about our approach, just in case. As well as maintaining Yellow Alert, I want two BRONCO squads supporting the exploration team, and all fighters on standby."

The bridge was a bustle of activity as the various personnel there either continued operating their stations, or left said stations to perform their duties elsewhere, quickly replaced thereafter by other crew members.

Twilight turned to Spike once more. "I want you to accompany Commander Shimmer on this mission for more field experience, Cadet Dragonfire."

"Yes, Captain!" Spike said with an enthusiastic smile, eager for the chance to leave the safety of the ship for the chance to go on an adventure.

As Spike and Sunset left the bridge into one of the lifts, Rarity joined them before the doors closed.

Spike couldn't help but steal yet another glance at whom, in his opinion, was the most beautiful female in existence. Everything about Rarity seemed perfect to him...her sparkling eyes, her striking figure, her brilliant intellect, her unswerving charm...

Spike quickly looked forward as the lift doors opened to another section of the ship. Rarity stepped off into the corridor before the lift closed and commenced moving. He allowed himself a small sigh. Seeing everything from behind Spike, Sunset rolled her eyes and smiled.

Spike and Sunset were among one of the many small groups that were gathering in multiple teleport chambers aboard the Celestia. Like the others gathered, Spike and Sunset were equipped accordingly, wearing belt, collar, and harness attachments to their uniforms that carried various weapons, scientific devices, and survival gear. The entire group activated their collar attachments, which materialized full helmets with transparent face masks.

"Coordinates entered..." The chamber operator spoke, typing commands into his console, "Activating in three...two...one..."

He pushed the button to energize the teleport chamber. For a few seconds, a soft aura surrounded the entire chamber, before the entire assembled group suddenly vanished in a flash of light.

For the group that was teleported, the familiarity of the chamber was instantly replaced by an unknown rocky terrain. The change in gravity was superficial, as it was similar gravity to the ship. The multiple small groups began to meander about and cluster together, the faceplates on each team member's helmet displaying readings and results as their scanners began taking stock of the surrounding environment.

Over the next few moments, Sunset studied the initial scans on her faceplate HUD. "Okay..." she spoke, "Readings are within tolerance, no environmental anomalies." At her mental command, the Mark symbol on her uniform began to glow. "Okay, here's the plan: BRONCO squad one will take point, followed by the main team body, while BRONCO squad two takes up the rear. According to initial scans, the settlement is about half a kilometer to the northwest. Let's hoof it."

Applejack led BRONCO squad one, keeping alert for any visible threats, her mental commands switching between HUD screens on her faceplate to display different readings or show things in different visual spectrums. Amongst the 20 person exploration team in addition to Spike and Sunset were Fluttershy, Rarity, Science Officer Time Turner, and Chief Engineer Vinyl Scratch.

"Hi!" An overly cheerful voice suddenly spoke up next to Spike.

"Ngh!" Spike exclaimed, jumping slightly in surprise at one of the few people he expected to be next to him...Lieutenant-Commander Pinkamena "Pinkie" Diane Pie, the ship's Counselor and Morale Officer. "P-Pinkie!?" He sputtered, Sunset and one or two others nearby snorting or otherwise stifling laughter at the Cadet's reaction.

"That's me!" Pinkie responded. If the pink colored portions of her uniform and Mark of three balloons weren't enough to make the exuberant Counselor stand out, her thick and curly hair of a slightly darker pink likewise attracted attention. "Are you ready for your session?"

Spike looked at Pinkie incredulously. "Seriously? Here? Now?"

Pinkie shrugged. "The setting isn't ideal, I admit...but given how super important these sessions are, I made the effort to come down here with you!"

Spike sighed. It was indeed important that he have regular sessions with one form or another of Psychoanalyst; it was an overarching term of both his adoption and recruitment. The reason being that Draconian emotions tended to be very...potent, in all senses of the word, capable of creating significant mental and physical effects as a result. The Draconian race, over the millennia of their existence, would cultivate a regiment of emotional control and mental discipline as a result.

As the first of his kind amongst Equestrians, the sessions were meant to constantly evaluate his psychological status; in addition, he had to learn and utilize the required Draconian mental disciplines. As such, here Pinkie was, preparing to begin a session; in the middle of a field mission, no less...

Pinkie spoke, "Helmet please, Mister Dragonfire, private link." She activated her own helmet.

Spike activated his own helmet as well, establishing a two way connection between the two of them, jammed and encrypted from any outside sources trying to listen in.

"Soooo..." Pinkie spoke, "I hear that you've been a bit frustrated, lately. Wanna talk about it?"

Spike sighed. He'd given up along time ago on figuring out how it was that Pinkie always seemed to know about how he'd been feeling despite his attempts to control himself and keep his outbursts to a minimum. First of all, it was her job to know these things, and she was very good at her job, to the point that Spike (and others) wondered if she might have a special gift for such things...far from impossible in this infinite, magical galaxy that they called home.

"It happened twice yesterday, and a few times before that." He spoke, "I just can't shake the feeling that...that I'm not..."

"Not good enough?" Pinkie spoke, trying to help the struggling Cadet to articulate his feelings.

"Well...yes and no. I know I'm trying as hard as I can, always giving it everything I've got. Everyone keeps saying how great I am, and how much better I can be...and while I DO believe them, and I DO notice my improvement...It still feels like something's...missing. Some vital part of me that I can't reach, that I can't even perceive!"

There was a short silence, before Pinkie asked again, "Are you still having the nightmare?"

Spike shook his head. "The last time I had it was three nights ago."

The bad dream he spoke of was one that plagued him off and on for a few years. It took different forms, but the overarching message was the same: Spike's friends or family in some kind of peril, and he himself attempting to rescue or help them, and always ending in his failure or demise. It was a factor that drove him harder than ever before to achieve as much as he could, as the prospect of failing his loved ones when they needed him most was, of course, unthinkable to the young man.

Pinkie responded, "The nightmares are definitely a manifestation of your fears of failure and inadequacy. The fact that they stop from time to time most likely means that you're doing something that alleviates your fears, if only briefly. have you been keeping up with your journals?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Spike replied.

Pinkie gave a short nod. "Good! It's been long enough now that I can read them, and determine a behavior pattern. Please send them to me at your next opportunity, okay?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Spike answered.

"Okie dokie lokie, session over!" Pinkie said, "If you need anything...sleep aids, someone to talk to, or cake, just give me a ring, okay?"

"Absolutely." Spike said, before looking at her sideways. "Cake?"

Pinkie shrugged. "It's not a substitute for talking it out with professionals or loved ones..." She grinned, "But it's a nice thing to have while you're doing said talking!"

Spike smiled. Pinkie was good at her job as a morale officer as well, always managing to make people smile and be positive even in bleak circumstances.

Pinkie then gasped a bit, and said, "Oh! Yeah! I forgot to ask...have you specialized, yet?"

Spike rolled his eyes. "You too?"

"Well, you have to choose **something** , Spike!" Pinkie spoke, "You can be anything you want to be, but you can't be **everything**! Not to mention you wouldn't have **nearly** as much stress with the decreased workload, thus more emotional stability. Your lifetime experience with psychological medicine, emotional control skill set, and cooking talents make you a **perfect** candidate for training as a Counselor and Morale Officer!"

With only silence as Spike's response, Pinkie finally said. "Anyway, if you're ready, we can deactivate."

Both parties did so, their helmets retracting and vanishing back into the collar pieces. Spike had been thinking about Pinkie's suggestion. Her bubbly, joyful, and even hyper exterior belied an impressive intellect, a remarkably abstract perception and a mind-boggling awareness. They had been interacting regularly since he first got on board, so he liked to think he knew when she was being serious and when she was just trying to make him feel better. Therefore, when she said he would do well in a similar field to hers, he knew she wasn't just blowing hot air.

Spike finally broke the silence. "So, are you sticking around for the fun?"

Pinkie nodded with a smile. "Yepperooni! I had one of my 'feelings' this morning, and it was a doozy! Something big is here, it's one of the reasons why the Captain's playing it so safe!"

Spike raised an eyebrow. "Really?" Pinkie's "Pinkie Sense" was simply one more reason why everyone was speculating that the Counselor had some kind of odd magical or psychic gift. She would get "feelings" every now and then...and they were never wrong...

Finally, the group stopped, a collection of buildings in the distance. Despite their centuries of age, most of them were still intact and standing...a testament to Equestrian infrastructure. The entire party of explorers reactivated their helmets and began operating their Uni-Comps to gather and synchronize information.

"Hmmm..." Time Turner spoke, "Most definitely a colony...a Manalithium mining colony to be exact." Despite the plain brown color portions of his uniform and simple hourglass Mark, the scientist was anything but ordinary. "I'm detecting very rich deposits, with the main extraction facility extending approximately two hundred feet underground." He then mumbled something to himself, continuing, "Very strange...I'm getting scan interference throughout much of the facility."

"I'm not reading any kind of environmental factors that could interfere with scans." Spike asked.

"Ain't readin' any jammin' signals or hostiles in the area, neither." Applejack chimed in.

"Hmmmm..." Sunset murmured, "This is very peculiar." She sighed, "Okay, we're going in. You've got your assignments, No groups smaller than four pe..."

"Great wickering stallions!" Time Turner suddenly exclaimed, "Commander, you need to see this!"

He typed a command into his Uni-Comp that displayed a holographic image large enough to be observed by Sunset and others. The image displayed a multitude of detailed scan readings, with a wireframe of what appeared to be a large crystal, with a smaller, oddly shaped crystal in the center. As Sunset studied the readings on the display, Time Turner explained, "The readings coming from this artifact are staggering in power, and emitting magic energy signatures I'm unfamiliar with."

Sunset nodded. "The crystal's not natural, it's synthetic; doesn't look Equestrian in origin, either..."

"Lieutenant Rarity?" Sunset spoke, prompting the woman to approach. The Commander pointed to an area of the display that appeared to be an analysis of glyphs and runes carved into the crystal. "Can you translate this?"

Rarity took a moment to observe the display. She shook her head slowly. "I don't immediately recognize it, I'm afraid. If I had some time with it, though, I might be able to come up with a translation."

Sunset nodded, then spoke up, "Rarity, Time Turner, Spike, the three of you will come with me to investigate this artifact. The rest of you will stay on assignment. Let's go."

The three Equestrians and one Draconian looked at the artifact with the kind of awe one felt while witnessing cosmic events.

Time Turner was the first to speak. "This is...indescribable. I have no words."

Rarity couldn't help but grin at the absolute beauty before her. "I can think of one word...exquisite!"

The large cavern was saturated with the polychromatic brilliance of pure Manalithium crystal, outcropping deposits and veins covering nearly the entire cavern. The best way to describe Manalithium was "solidified magic energy." It was used as an energy source, a building material, and a technological component...a crucial resource not only for Equestrians, but for most other interstellar civilizations as well.

The centerpiece of the spectacle, however, was the astounding artifact in the center; one massive crystal with what appeared to be a mass of interlocking crystals in multiple shapes and colors at it's core. Another notable part of the structure was a complex system of runes and pictograms etched and carved across the exterior.

Rarity walked over to the artifact, observing the runes. Time Turner also approached, but to use a more complex scanning device connected to his Uni-Comp.

"I know I said this doesn't look Equestrian...but..." Sunset said as she and Spike walked closer to the artifact together, "The more I look at it, the more it feels like a part of us."

"I know what you mean..." Rarity spoke up, "I'm not familiar with this language, but I feel like I should know it just the same!"

"What do you think, Doctor?" Sunset asked, looking towards Time Turner.

Turner studied the artifact for a moment, furrowing his brow, then looked at Sunset. "Well..." He commented, "While I recognize this as a significant artifact, and it does indeed resemble something Equestrian, I confess I don't feel any kind of...instinct or connection towards it, I'm afraid." His eyes then lit up slightly, "Perhaps it has to do with you and the Lieutenant's Unuscornu heritage? You might simply be more sensitive to the ambient magic the artifact's generating, whereas I of the Terra Onager species am not."

Indeed, the Equestrian race was made up of not one, but multiple species, each one possessing adaptations of both natural and supernatural selection that could be utilized in situations that required them. For example, the Unuscornu, or "Unicorns" could manipulate the Old Magic far easier than others; the Pegasos, or "Pegasi" could fly; and the Terra Onager, or "Earth Ponies" could command vast strength and endurance.

Sunset considered this as she looked at the artifact. Finally, she closed her eyes to focus herself for a moment. At her forehead, an orange, glowing, semi-transparent spire shape appeared, roughly a foot in length, and tapering to a point like a the horn of a unicorn. It glowed briefly before it vanished.

Opening her eyes, Sunset slowly shook her head. "While I do feel the presence of strong magic, the feeling of...familiarity is different...separate."

Turner shrugged. "Ah, well, it was an insubstantial theory anyway. Still, it gives me just that much more information to go on." With that, the Science Officer moved to another area of the artifact to observe the core crystal cluster's odd shapes from another vantage point.

"Perhaps we're simply over thinking this." Rarity offered, "The language may look familiar to me because of my field of expertise? Despite so many different forms of communication, most of them do tend to stay within certain linguistic structures." Despite her logical explanation, even Rarity herself didn't look convinced of her own words.

"Well, in any case..." Sunset spoke, "That's why we're here; studying this thing to get answers. Once things are more secured, I should consider asking the Captain to apply her insight."

Spike remained in silent thought; it didn't make any sense. It seemed right that the artifact was related to Equestria...but he was a Draconian; why did HE feel a connection to this artifact? Moreover, why didn't Time Turner feel the same familiarity?

"Mister Dragonfire?" Rarity's angelic voice called him back to the present moment. "May I have your help, please?"

Spike cleared his throat. "Yes, Ma'am." As he approached, Rarity spoke, "First, I'd like to establish an A.I. connection, please?"

With a nod, Spike took an item from his back; a metal orb-like object with one blue polymer "eye." He ran his hand over the eye portion, causing it to glow brilliantly. He tossed the orb up, and it quickly began to float, moving around a bit before focusing on an empty area of the rocky ground near the artifact. A soft beam of blue energy projected from the orb, creating a humanoid shape; a beautiful, middle-aged woman wearing a standard uniform, all of it white without color portions. She wore a cape with three colors of turquoise, cyan, and pink that draped over one side of her body, her hair in the same three shades. The Mark displayed on her uniform was a sun shape. This was the A.I. of the Celestia Solara, personified in her own chosen shape.

Celestia looked at Spike and Rarity with a smile. "Lieutenant Rarity, Cadet Dragonfire, How may I be of service?"

Rarity smiled in return, "We're attempting to translate an artifact, and I'll need access to the ship's information resources, if you please."

"Of course, Lieutenant." Celestia nodded. With a nod to one another, Spike and Rarity set to work...

One hour later, Twilight looked at the artifact on the ship's viewscreen with the same awe as the field team did, then sighed wistfully, "I miss being in the field."

"You wouldn't do much more good down here, Captain." Sunset spoke, "While it's only been an hour, We don't know much more about this thing than when we first started."

"Do you think we could move it back to the ship?" Twilight asked, a bit of hope in her voice, "Maybe I could go down with an escort..."

"Captain..." Sunset began.

Twilight huffed, plopping in her chair. "I know, I know, never mind."

They had this debate often, as Twilight constantly sought to go on field missions, only for Sunset to remind her of protocol which forbade her to go on such missions except under certain circumstances due to the inherent risk involved.

"I'll make sure we transport this to the ship or secure the area, Ma'am." Sunset assured.

"If you wouldn't mind." Twilight confirmed, the two of them smiling at one another. "Celestia?" Twilight said, "Move around the artifact slowly, please?"

"Yes, Captain." Celestia replied, and then the image on the viewscreen moved, the orb acting as a floating image recorder. As it passed near Spike, he gave an exaggerated smile and wiggled his eyebrows, making Twilight smile and roll her eyes.

"Do focus, Cadet, would you?" Rarity said, "We haven't been here **that** long."

"Sorry, Ma'am." Spike said with a more subdued smile. Suddenly, a light rumble erupted from his abdomen, causing Rarity to raise an eyebrow. "Did you skip breakfast?"

"Sorry, Ma'am." Spike said once more with a sheepish look, "I didn't skip, but I overslept a bit this morning and only had time for something light."

Rarity smiled. "I'll continue with this, if you'd like a moment to snack on a ration bar."

The Cadet nodded, "Thanks." He reached into his supply pouch, moving small tools aside to find a ration bar. He sighed, as he pulled back an empty hand, mentally kicking himself. First oversleeping, then forgetting to pack a ration bar! Rarity noticed this, and took out her own ration bar, holding it up to Spike.

The Draconian shook his head. "Thank you, ma'am, but I'll be alright until we get back to..."

" **Cadet**..." Rarity interrupted, her tone equal parts stern and soft. "Please...I insist."

Finally, Spike took the ration with a smile. "Thank you." he said, Rarity nodding in response. As usual, she never hesitated to part with her own supplies to help both fellow crew members and strangers alike. She was also known for getting her way.

After devouring the ration, Spike returned to studying a series of pictograms against images on his Uni-Comp. After a few minutes he spoke, "Okay, Tribal Era Pegasos Hieroglyphs are a bust. There's similarities, but the translations are gibberish."

"I might have something with the runic portion..." Rarity responded, "Tribal Era Unuscornu seems like a good bridge to work with."

Spike thought for a moment, then called up another set of images on his Uni-Comp. As he worked, he became as confused as he was excited...

"I can't believe this is working!" He said.

"What is it?" Rarity asked, curious.

Spike looked Rarity in the eye. "I found something that works with the pictograms. In fact, it's almost a perfect match." He held up his Uni-Comp for Rarity to see. She looked at the images, then looked at Spike incredulously. He nodded.

"Ancient Era Draconian Cuneiform." Spike said, "I don't know how, I don't know why."

"That doesn't make any sense." Rarity said, "If these archaic dialects are any indication, our races weren't even close to meeting each other back then!"

Spike shrugged, "I double checked, the translations work."

Rarity studied the translations, contemplating silently for a moment, then nodded. "Yes...you're right, these are very compatible. Perhaps this is from a more recent era and they simply chose to use older forms of language. It's not unheard of."

"You mean the theory where certain words in certain languages are required to use some spells of the Old Magic?" Spike ventured.

Rarity nodded. "Indeed. We can't know for sure though until Doctor Turner has an accurate age for this artifact." She smiled, then. "Excellent work, Mister Dragonfire! This would have taken far longer if you hadn't made that connection to Draconic dialect."

"Thanks." Spike said, "I've been focusing on Draconic language as part of my Communications training; parts of these pictographs just started looking familiar to me, and I went on a hunch. I'm glad it payed off!"

"You really should consider specializing in Communications, Cadet. Such intuition and insight is an ideal quality! I certainly wouldn't mind working with you on a more regular basis."

Spike's heart was pounding from Rarity's compliments and desire for him to work alongside her, and it was certainly a tempting opportunity...not just because of his feelings for her, but because her skill with negotiation, linguistics, and computer science could be counted among the best in the fleet! Even though her nature led her to compliment others often, Spike could tell that in his case, it was more than just her generosity talking.

After another half-hour or so, Sunset approached Spike and Rarity. "Report?"

Rarity was the first to speak. "The runes and pictograms translate from both Equestrian and Draconian. The Equestrian translations are from not one, but multiple dialects. The translations from Equestrian are 'Loyalty,' 'Laughter,' 'Generosity,' 'Honesty,' 'Kindness,' 'Forgiveness,' and 'Magic.'"

Spike spoke next, "The translation from Draconic is 'Strength.' We have theories, but we don't know for sure why there's both Draconian and Equestrian writing here."

Sunset nodded. Hearing the translations stirred a memory of something she studied a long time ago. For the life of her though, she couldn't remember it! "Doctor? What do you have to report?"

Time Turner looked up from his very active Uni-Comp. "Quite a bit, actually! He walked up to Sunset, showing her his results. "The outer crystal shell is definitely Manalithium; roughly one thousand years old. The crystals inside, however...they're unique. Whatever mineral they're made from is completely unknown! The color differences in the interior crystals gives me reason to believe that these are multiple shapes fused together to form this cluster. Celestia has already mapped out multiple shape possibilities from the scans we've made. Finally, the magic energy being emitted is of a signature and wavelength unknown, it's potency completely off the charts!"

Sunset read the findings on Time Turner's Unicomp as she listened to his report. She let out a whistle, "Incredible...would it be safe to bring back to the ship?"

The Science Officer nodded. "While extremely powerful, the energy isn't dangerous or malevolent. Quite the contrary, actually; I feel...safe around it, if that makes any sense. The outer crystal is even cool to the touch. Also, while it is rooted into the ground a few feet, it should be easy enough to lift or teleport it."

Sunset nodded. "It's settled, then, we'll teleport it back to the ship."

Twilight grinned, barely containing her glee as the artifact flashed into being inside of a containment field in Lab Alpha. She could swear that it looked even better up close! Quickly, she began typing on the console near the containment field. A couple of minutes later, Time Turner materialized in a flash.

"I've already begun programming a battery of scans and tests!" She spoke, her smile happy and unwavering. Her ethereal lavender horn appeared as she briefly washed her own magic energy over the runes etched into the outer crystal. "I believe Spike and Rarity are right about the Magicae Verbum connection, the older languages purposefully required for whatever magic this is to function properly."

"Right!" Turner spoke with enthusiasm, "Is a molecular mapping scan one of the tests?"

"Of course." Twilight confirmed matter-of-factly.

"Capital!" Turner nodded, "Hopefully we can get at least **some** idea of what this artifact's inner crystals are made of!" With that, he made his way to another console, and the two worked with gusto.

"Okay, people, let's get back to exploring." Sunset said, motioning her head to the cavern entrance. "Spike, meet up with the first BRONCO team at the Refinery. Rarity, you're with me."

Spike nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

After leaving the cavern and splitting off from Sunset and Rarity, Spike began double-timing it to the large building identified as the Refinery where Manalithium crystals were separated from the ore they were attached to and cut into more manageable sizes. His mental commands activated a trace on Applejack's suit signal, indicating a location. Finally, he met up with Applejack and her team, his assault rifle ready.

"Cadet Dragonfire reporting, Ma'am!" Spike greeted.

Applejack nodded. "Good ta have ya." She looked around as she spoke, "We ain't got working lifts or bridges, so we gotta get around however we can 'til Chief Scratch can make some progress. I want you with the flyers."

"Yes, ma'am." Spike replied, double timing once again to meet up with the BRONCOs with flight capability. The group gathered around a massively muscled man with gold color portions to his uniform and a Mark of a dumbbell weight.

Chief Bulk Biceps barked, "Wings!"

At this command, from the backs of each person there, a set of semi-transparent wings of varied colors appeared. Each set of wings resembled feathered bird plumage; save for Spike, whose wings resembled the flight appendages of a dragon.

"Keep it tight!" Bulk ordered, "Go!" The group took off, with Bulk in the lead, flying about the refinery seeking out anything unusual or threatening.

"Okay, everypony, follow my lead!" Applejack spoke to her own group, "Watch yer step!" With that, her entire body took on a mild ethereal glow, followed by the others in her group, the colors of each aura varying between each one.

As she collapsed and holstered her rifle, Applejack took stock of the distance over a collapsed bridge, roughly 6 meters. She then ran to the edge and leapt the entire distance! The others followed, readying their weapons again once their footing was secure. Their auras fading, the group moved forward at a brisk pace, cautious of their surroundings.

Deep within the main building of the colony, something awakened, it's power and consciousness suddenly returning, the obstacle that held it back now removed. It reached out with it's perception, finding much sustenance both here and beyond the planet's boundaries. Had it the capacity to do so, the serendipity it felt at both it's ended nullification and immediately finding abundant fuel for it's growth would have caused it to form a cruel grin.

At long last, it could feed.

Senior Chief Vinyl Scratch sat up from her position on the ground, huffing a breath in frustration. Finding a power source was easy, they were surrounded by Manalithium; getting the generator to work wasn't terribly difficult, that particular model was built to last. Getting the power relay node to work, on the other hand, was proving to be a **massive** pain in the flank!

The venom in her thoughts translated to a voice emitting from a band she wore around her head, which also extended into a set of headphones that covered her ears.

The synthetic voice that emitted from her Aurophone uttered a couple of unpleasant words that didn't go unnoticed by the others nearby. Most of them merely ignored it or shrugged it off with understanding and/or mild amusement. "Goodness." Fluttershy muttered.

The Physician walked over to Vinyl and knelt down to her level, offering her an electrolyte drink ration. "Maybe you should take a quick break? You've certainly earned it with the progress you've made so far."

Vinyl sighed, then nodded and accepted the ration. "Thanks." The feminine synthetic voice spoke, an approximation of what Vinyl's voice might have sounded like had she the ability to speak. Fluttershy smiled, and Vinyl couldn't help but smile back. Suddenly, her smile vanished as turned her head to the side.

Fluttershy knew immediately what was going on. Without her Aurophone, Vinyl was deaf. With it, however, she could hear far better than anyone. "Commander!" Vinyl "Shouted" at increased volume, "Something's coming!"

Sunset snapped to attention, bringing her rifle to bear. The others in the party drew smaller sidearms. The sounds were becoming audible now; Rarity began adjusting her Uni-Comp and helmet to view and scan in different modes. "Scans don't seem to be picking them up!"

Vinyl caused something in her Aurophone to emit a high-frequency sound, then activated her helmet. "Active sonar picking up...twelve forms, bipedal movement, approaching quickly!"

The sounds were distinguishable now...sounds of gurgling and hissing.

"I can see them now on night vi-" Rarity grasped suddenly.

"Lieutenant?" Sunset asked urgently.

"N-Night vision, Commander! Quickly!" Rarity responded.

"Helmets!" Sunset commanded, "Night vision!"

The entire team's helmets appeared, the night vision setting revealing multiple creatures moving towards them, a few of them still shambling, but most of them speeding up to a running pace. The creatures resembled multiple species; Equestrian, Adamacanid, Gryphus, and others, the one distinction among them being that they now seemed to resemble walking corpses, all of them coated with a strange black ooze.

Fluttershy trembled, her breathing quickened to near-hyperventilation. "Wh-What happened to them!?"

"No time to figure it out." Sunset replied, "They're getting closer!"


End file.
